Water condenser

ABSTRACT

A water condenser includes a fan which draws a primary airflow through an upstream refrigerant evaporator, through an air-to-air heat exchanger and in one embodiment also an air-to-water heat exchanger uses cold water collected as condensate from the evaporator, the airflow to the evaporator being pre-cooled by passing through the air-to-air heat exchanger and the air-to-water heat exchanger prior to entry into the evaporator wherein the airflow is further cooled to below its dew point so as to condense moisture onto the evaporator far gravity collection. The evaporator is cooled by a closed refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant condenser for the closed refrigerant circuit may employ the fan drawing the airflow through the evaporator or a separate fan, both of which drawing an auxiliary airflow separate from the airflow through the evaporator through a manifold whereby bath the auxiliary airflow and the airflow through the evaporator, or just the auxiliary airflow are guided through the condenser and corresponding fan.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation Application of U.S. Ser. No.11/996,950, filed Aug. 20, 2008, which is a U.S. National Phaseapplication of International Application Serial No. PCT/CA2006/001285,filed Jul. 31, 2006, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/853,303, filed Jul. 29, 2005, the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to the field of water condensers generally and inparticular to a water condenser providing for optimized controlledcooling of an ambient air flow to its dew point temperature so as tocondense moisture from the ambient air to provide potable water.

BACKGROUND

At any given moment the earth's atmosphere contains 326 million cubicmiles of water and of this, 97% is saltwater and only 3% is fresh water.Of the 3% that is fresh water, 70% is frozen in Antarctica and of theremaining 30% only 0.7% is found in liquid form. Atmospheric aircontains 0.16% of this 0.7% or 4,000 cubic miles of water which is 8times the amount of water found in all the rivers of the world. Of theremaining 0.7%, 0.16% is found in the atmosphere; 0.8% is found in soilmoisture; 1.4% is found in lakes; and 97.5% is found in groundwater.

Nature maintains this ratio by accelerating or retarding the rates ofevaporation and condensation, irrespective of the activities of man.Such evaporation and condensation is the means of regenerating wholesomewater for all forms of life on earth.

In addition, many of the world's fresh water sources are contaminated. Atotal of 1.2 billion people in the world lack access to safe drinkingwater and 2.9 billion people do not have access to proper sanitationsystems (World Health Organization). As a result, about 3.4 millionpeople, mostly children, die each year from water-related illnesses.According to the United Nations, 31 countries in the world are currentlyfacing water stress and over one billion people lack access to cleanwater. Half of humanity lacks basic sanitation services and water-bornepathogens kill 25 million people every year. Every 8 seconds, a childdies from drinking contaminated water. Furthermore, unless dramaticchanges occur, soon, close to two-thirds of the world's population willbe living with freshwater shortages.

There is a global need for cost effective and scalable sources ofpotable water. Current technologies require too much energy to operateefficiently and the resultant cost of the treated water puts thesetechnologies out-of-reach for the majority in need. Desalination plantsexist in rich nations such as the United States and Saudi Arabia but arenot feasible everywhere. The lack of infrastructure in developingnations makes large plants with high-volume production impractical, asthere is no way to transport the water efficiently.

There is a need for small scalable water extraction devices that meetthe needs of individuals, communities and industries. This inventionresponds to that need by providing an extraction unit that functions“off-the-grid” to make clean pure water, anywhere where the need exists.

The present invention is a device that extracts moisture vapour fromatmospheric air for use as a fresh water source. The device may utilizethe sun as the primary energy source thereby eliminating the need forcostly fuels, hydro or battery power sources. The water collectiondevice of the present invention provides flexibility over prior devices,allowing for productive installations in most regions of the world. Asthe water collection device's preferred power source is solar energy,the amount of available power for the device increases as installationsof the device are closer to the equator where there is more sunlightyear round.

The invention is designed to allow one small water cooler sized unit toprovide cooking and drinking water for a family, simply by harvestingthe water vapour from humid air. Private individuals, industries andcommunities could control their own water supply through the use of thedevice's technology. It is also practical for many uses in domestic,commercial or military applications and offers ease of use and cleanwater of a highest quality anywhere, anytime. The modular design ofthese devices allow for increased capacity, simply by adding moremodules.

In addition to domestic use, larger units based upon the same basictechnology are appropriate for other applications in which larger watersupplies are required. For example, a 12 Volt compressor in the coolingsystem within the device, may be replaced with a larger 110 Voltcompressor with the appropriately sized other components such as theevaporator and the condenser, and the unit will be capable of condensinglarger quantities of water as electrical power is more readilyavailable.

The device's solar water powered condenser technology may be applied toa variety of uses from residential to recreational and from commercialand agricultural to military and life saving in extreme water deprivedregions of the world.

This invention may be used for obtaining pure drinking water, forcooking purposes or for other household uses such as cleaning orbathing. The system may also be used on boats or in vacation areas, oncamping trips, trekking, and places where drinking water deliverysystems are not developed. The unit may be used to produce fresh waterfor bottling purposes or for large commercial applications such asrestaurants, offices, schools, hotel lobbies, cruise ships, hospitalsand other public buildings. The system may also be used in playingfields and sports arenas.

Additionally, the device may be used to augment the supply of water usedto irrigate selected crops using micro or drip irrigation systems. Thesesystems deliver the right amount of water at the right time, directly tothe roots of plants. As well, the technology may be used to for bottledwater production or virtually any other application where water isneeded.

The proposed technology provides an opportunity to end much suffering.The death and misery that flow from unsafe water is overwhelming. Morethan 5,000 children die daily from diseases caused by consuming waterand food contaminated with bacteria, according to a recent studyreleased by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UNEnvironment Program (UNEP).

Currently, 1.2 billion people have no access to safe drinking water andthat number is increasing steadily, with forecasts of a potential 2.3billion (or one-third of the earth's population) without access to safewater by 2025 (World Health Organization's statistics from WorldCommission on Water for the 21st Century). These at-risk children andtheir families are not restricted to rural areas in undeveloped nations.“Millions of poor urban dwellers have been left without water supply andsanitation in the rapidly growing cities of the developing world. Thepoor are often forced to pay exorbitant prices for untreated water, muchof it deadly,” reports William Cosgrove, director of World Water Vision,Paris. The device, according to the invention, can relieve much of thissuffering.

A rapid increase in water demand, particularly for industrial andhousehold use, is being driven by population growth and socioeconomicdevelopment. If this growth trend continues, consumption of water by theindustrial sector will be double by 2025 (WMO). Urban population growthwill increase the demand for household water, but poorly planned waterand sanitation services will lead to a breakdown in services forhundreds of millions of people. Many households will remain unconnectedto piped water.

The present invention offers a practical and affordable solution to manyof the world's water supply problems.

It should be noted that while much of the prior art is based on simplyextracting what can be extracted from the air using a simplistic anduncontrolled process, some water will be extracted, but with littleconcern for efficiency. This lack of efficiency can be explained byunderstanding the different types of heat that are used in the processof extracting water from air.

The heat that is used to bring air temperature down to the dew point is“specific heat”. The heat used to bring the temperature of air below thedew point is “latent heat” and represents a dynamic variable in thecondensation process. The optimal condensation process uses as little“latent heat” as is possible.

The dew point of air is the temperature at which the water vapour in theair becomes saturated and condensation begins.

For reference, specific heat means the amount of heat, measured incalories, required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substanceby one Celsius degree.

Latent heat means: The quantity of beat absorbed or released by asubstance undergoing a change of state, such as ice changing to water orwater to steam, at constant temperature and pressure. This is alsocalled heat of transformation.

In the optimal condensation process if too much air is drawn through thesystem, the system cannot transfer enough of the total volume of air toa temperature below the dew point, therefore resulting in poorperformance from the system.

If not enough air is drawn through the device the air temperature willdrop below the dew point but as there is less air moving through thesystem, there is respectively less water available to be drawn from thatair. As well, other issues that arise when too little air is movedthrough the system such as freezing and wasted energy in the overuse of“latent” beat. Therefore there is an optimal quantity of air thattravels through the system based upon a number of variables and thatoptimal quantity of air will change as the other variables change. It istherefore necessary to have a system that is monitored and reacts to thechanges in temperature and humidity so as to ensure ongoing optimaloperation.

SUMMARY

The water condenser according to the present invention is a device thatmay use various input source energy supplies to create a condensationprocess that extracts potable water from atmospheric air.

In one embodiment the water condenser is portable and the refrigerationcycle may be driven by a 12 Volt compressor that allows for an efficientcondensation process for creating a potable water supply. The inputsource energy for the compressor may be supplied from many sources suchas a wind turbine, batteries, or a photovoltaic panel. Additionally thedesign may be fitted with transformers to accommodate other powersupplies such as 110 Volt or 220 Volt systems when such electrical poweris available, or the device may be sized or scaled up so as toaccommodate such electrical power sources directly. For example, thedevice might use a 110 Volt compressor and simply have the device'sother components scaled-up to accommodate the larger compressor.

Rather than filtering water with conventional systems such as reverseosmosis or carbon filtration, the device filters the atmospheric airthen provides a condensation process that lowers the temperature of thatair to below dew point of the air flow. The air is then exposed to anadequate sized, cooled surface area upon which to condense, and thewater is harvested as gravity pulls the water into a storagecompartment.

The disclosed invention creates a high quality water supply through aprocess of filtering air rather than water. The device may be fittedwith a screen to keep out larger contaminates. Downstream of the screenmay be a pre-filter. The pre-filter may be removable for cleaning.Downstream of the pre-filter may be a high quality filter such as a HEPAfilter to ensure the air flow is pure and depleted of contaminates thatmight lower the quality of water that is created by the condensationprocess downstream of the air filtration. Rather than using a capillarytube metering mechanism for feeding refrigerant fluid into therefrigerant evaporator, such as is normally used for smallerrefrigeration systems, the device according to the present invention,may be fitted with an automatic suction valve so as to allow for thedevice to adapt to varying loads created by different environments. Oneobject is that the condensation process is to provide efficientprocessing of atmospheric, that is ambient air. Thus the intake air flowdownstream of the air filtration may be pre-cooled, prior to entering arefrigerant evaporator used to condense moisture out of the intake airflow, by passing the intake air flow through an air-to-air beatexchanger, itself cooled by cooled air leaving the evaporator. That is,the incoming air flow is cooled before it enters the refrigerantevaporator section by passing it in close proximity in the heatexchanger to the cooled air that is leaving the refrigerant evaporator.Air-to-air heat exchangers may be constructed to be very efficient,reaching 80% efficiency, and therefore reducing the temperature of theincoming air flow towards the dew point prior to the air flow enteringthe refrigerant evaporator, reduces the temperature differential, ortemperature drop that must obtained by passing the air over cooledsurfaces in the refrigerant evaporator to obtain the dew pointtemperature, and thus may have a significant impact upon the efficiencyof the condensation process and thus the efficiency of the device. Forexample the device may thus be optimized to increase the air flow rateand still be able to reduce the air flow temperature to the dew point,or the device will be able to handle very hot inflow temperatures andstill reduce the dew point temperature of a reasonable air flow volumeover time so as to harvest a useful amount of moisture. Sensors providetemperature, for example ambient, inlet temperatures, refrigerantevaporator inlet and refrigerant evaporator outlet temperatures,humidity, and fan speed or other air flow rate indicators to the processto optimize and balance those variables to maximize harvested moisturevolume. Embodiments of the present invention may thus include varyingthe flow of air through the system such that the device has a prescribedamount of air passing through the refrigerant evaporator and a differentflow of air passing through the refrigerant condenser of thecorresponding refrigerant circuit, allowing for optimized function.

In addition to the benefits described above, the water condenser may addadditional value in further processing. For example, the harvested watermay be further processed so as to increase the value of the water, byadding back inorganic minerals missing or only present in small amountsin the water, so as to accommodate the perceived value of these mineralsto the consumer. This process may also add organic minerals back intothe water which are of benefit to the human body, rather than simplyadding back inorganic minerals that the human body may not be able toproperly assimilate.

There are numerous means by which to put back minerals and traceelements into the harvested water. For example, a small compartment witha hinged door, allowing it to be easily accessed, may be providedbetween a drip plate at the bottom of the refrigerant evaporator and adownstream water storage container, so as to have all harvested waterpass through this chamber. A provided mineral puck may inserted intothis chamber by a user so that harvested water drips over the mineralpuck, causing the puck to dissolve and thereby adding desired elementsto the harvested water. The user thereby controls re-mineralization ofthe harvested water. Additional health remedies may also be added to theharvested water such as colloidal silver, water oxygenation additives,negatively ionized hydrogen ions or other health enhancing products.

In summary, the water condenser, according to the present invention, maybe characterized in one aspect as including at least two cooling stages,or first cooling a primary or first air flow flowing through theupstream or first stage of the two stages using an air-to-air heatexchanger, and feeding the primary air flow, once cooled in the heatexchanger, of one first stage in a refrigerant evaporator wherein theprimary air flow is further cooled in the refrigerant evaporator to itsdew point so as to condense moisture in the primary air flow onto cooledsurfaces of the refrigerant evaporator, whereupon the primary air flow,upon exiting the refrigerant evaporator of the second stage, enters theair-to-air heat exchanger of the first stage to cool the incomingprimary air flow, thereby reducing the temperature differential betweenthe temperature of the incoming primary air flow entering the firststage and the dew point temperature of the primary air flow in thesecond stage. A secondary or auxiliary air flow, which in one embodimentmay be mixed or joined (collectively referred to herein as being mixed)with the primary air flow, downstream of the first and second stages soas to increase the volume of air flow entering a refrigerant condenserin the refrigerant circuit corresponding to the refrigerant evaporatorof the second stage. Thus if the primary or first air flow has acorresponding first mass flow rate, and the secondary or auxiliary airflow has a corresponding second mass flow rate, then the mass flow rateof the combined air flow entering the refrigerant condenser is the sumof the first and second mass flow rates, that is greater than the firstmass flow rate in the two cooling stages. The two cooling stages may becontained in one or separate housings as long as the primary air flow isin fluid communication between the two stages. One housing includes afirst air intake for entry of the primary air flow. The first air intakeis mounted to the air-to-air heat exchanger.

The air-to-air heat exchanger has a pre-refrigeration set of airconduits cooperating at their upstream end in fluid communication withthe first air intake. The first air intake thus provides for intake ofthe primary air flow into the pre-refrigeration set of air conduits. Theair-to-air heat exchanger also has a post-refrigeration set of conduitsarranged relative to the pre-refrigeration set of air conduits for heattransfer between the pre-refrigeration set of air conduits and the post-refrigeration set of air conduits.

A first refrigeration or cooling unit (hereinafter collectively arefrigeration unit) such as the refrigerant evaporator cooperates withthe pre-refrigeration set of air conduits for passage of the primary airflow from a downstream end of the pre-refrigeration set of conduits intoan upstream end of the first refrigeration unit. The first refrigerationunit includes first refrigerated or cooled (herein collectively oralternatively referred to as refrigerated) surfaces, for example one ormore cooled plates, over which the primary air flow passes as it flowsfrom the upstream end of the first refrigeration unit to the downstreamend of the first refrigeration unit.

The already pre-cooled primary air flow is further cooled in the firstrefrigeration unit below a dew point of the primary air flow so as tocommence condensation of moisture in the primary air flow onto therefrigerated surfaces for gravity-assisted collection of the moistureinto a moisture collector, for example a drip late or pan mounted underor in a lower part of the housing. The downstream end of the firstrefrigeration unit cooperates with, for passage of the primary air flowinto, an upstream end of the post-refrigeration set of air conduits, forexample to then enter the air-to-air heat exchanger so as to pre-coolthe primary air flow before the primary air flow engages the firstrefrigeration unit. Because of pre-cooling by the heat exchanger,condensate may be collected with minimal power requirements. A secondair-to-air heat exchanger may further increase system performance.Collectively the pre-refrigeration and post-refrigeration sets of airconduits form the first cooling stage, and collectively the plate orplates of the refrigerant evaporator form the second cooling stage. Anair-to-water heat exchanger may be provided cooperating with theair-to-air heat exchanger for cooling the primary air flow wherein theprimary air flow is passed through the air-to-water heat exchanger andthe cold moisture from the moisture collector is simultaneously passedthrough the air-to-water heat exchanger so that the moisture cools thefirst air flow. The air-to-water heat exchanger may be either upstreamor downstream of the air-to-air heat exchanger along the primary airflow.

In one embodiment a manifold or air plenum having opposite upstream anddownstream ends cooperates in fluid communication with the downstreamend of the post-refrigeration set of conduits. That is, the upstream endof the air plenum cooperates with the downstream end of thepost-refrigeration set of conduits so that the primary air flow flowsinto the air plenum at the upstream end of the plenum. The plenum has asecondary or auxiliary air intake into the plenum for mixing of theauxiliary air flow with, or addition of the auxiliary air flow inparallel to, the primary air flow in the plenum so as to provide thecombined mass flow rate into the refrigerant condenser, to extract heatfrom the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit to re-condense therefrigerant for delivery under pressure to the refrigerant evaporator inthe second cooling stage, the refrigerant pressurized between therefrigerant evaporator and condenser by a refrigerant compressor (hereinreferred to as the compressor). Thus the downstream end of the plenumcooperates in fluid communication with the refrigerant condenser. An airflow primer mover such as a fan or blower (herein collectively a fan)urges the primary air flow through the two cooling stages. Inembodiments wherein both the primary and auxiliary air flows aredirected into the refrigerant condenser (herein also referred to as thecombined air flow embodiment), a single air flow prime mover, such as afan on the refrigerant condenser may be employed, otherwise, where onlythe auxiliary air flow flows through the refrigerant condenser, separateair flow prime movers are provided for the primary and auxiliary airflows.

In the combined air flow embodiment, a selectively actuable air flowmetering valve, such as a selectively actuable damper, may be mounted incooperation with the auxiliary air intake for selectively controllingthe volume and flow rate of the auxiliary air flow passing into theplenum. An automated actuator may cooperate with the metering valve forautomated actuation of the metering valve between open and closedpositions of the valve according to at least one environmental conditionindicative of at least moisture content in the primary and/or auxiliaryair flows (herein “and/or” collectively referred to by the Booleanoperator “or”). As an example, the automated actuator may be atemperature sensitive bi-metal actuator or an actuator controlled by aprogrammable logic controller (PLC); for example the automated actuatormay include a processor cooperating with at least one sensor, the atleast one sensor for sensing the at least one environmental conditionand communicating environmental data corresponding to the at least oneenvironmental condition from the at least one sensor to the processor orPLC. The at least one environmental condition may be chosen from thegroup consisting of air temperature, humidity, barometric air pressure,air density, or air mass flow rate. The air temperature conditioner mayinclude the temperature of the ambient air at the primary air flowintake, and the temperature of the primary air flows entering andleaving the second cooling stage.

The processor regulates the first and/or second air flows, for exampleregulates the amount of cooling in the refrigeration unit, so that theair temperature in the first refrigeration unit is at or below the dewpoint of the primary air flow, but above freezing. The processor maycalculate the dew point for the primary air flow based on the at leastone environmental condition sensed by the at least one sensor.

The air flow prime mover may be selectively controllable and theprocessor may regulate the primary, auxiliary or combined air flow so asto minimize the air temperature of the primary air flow from droppingtoo far below the dew point for the primary air flow to minimizecondensation within the heat exchanger, and so as to optimize ormaximize the volume of moisture condensation in the refrigeration unit.

At least one filter may be mounted in cooperation with the watercondenser housing. For example, at least one air filter such as a HEPAfilter may be mounted in the flow path of the first air flow. A waterfilter may be provided for filtering water in the moisture collector.The air filters may include an ultra-violet radiation lamp mounted inproximity to, so as to cooperate with, the primary air flow path or themoisture collector. For example the air filter and the water filter mayinclude a common ultra-violet radiation lamp mounted in proximity to soas to cooperate with both the primary air flow path and the moisturecollector.

In upstream-to-downstream order, the first refrigeration unit may beadjacent the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger may be adjacent theplenum, the plenum may be adjacent the refrigerant condenser, and therefrigerant condenser may be adjacent the air flow prime mover. Theseelements may be inter-leaved in closely adjacent array.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is, in perspective view, one embodiment of the water condenseraccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2B is a sectional view along line 2 b-2 b in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3.

FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C is, in perspective view, the internal air conduits of theupstream side of manifold of the water condenser of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is the view of FIG. 3 in an alternative embodiment wherein theair flow manifold feeding the refrigerant condenser is partitionedbetween the primary and auxiliary air flows.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the pre-cooling and condenser cycle andclosed loop refrigerant circuit according to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6A is the view of FIG. 6 showing an air-to-water heat exchangerdownstream of the air-to- air heat exchanger.

FIG. 6B is the view of FIG. 6 showing an air-to-water heat exchangerupstream of the air-to-air heat exchanger.

FIG. 7 is, in partially cut away front right side perspective view, analternative embodiment of the present invention wherein two separatefans draw the primary and auxiliary air flows through the evaporator andcondenser respectively.

FIG. 8 is, in partially cut away front left side perspective view, theembodiment of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is, in partially cut away rear perspective view, the embodimentof FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a partially cut away rear perspective view of the embodimentof FIG. 7.

FIG. 10A is a sectional view along line 10 a-10 a in FIG. 10.

FIG. 11 is, in partially cut away perspective view a further alternativeembodiment of the present invention wherein the primary air flow passesthrough an air-to-water heat exchanger.

FIG. 11A is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of theair-two-water heater exchanger of FIG. 11.

FIG. 12 is a graph of Temperature vs. Time showing the interrelation ofEvaporator Temperature, Processed Air Temperature, Relative Humidity(RH) %, Dew Point Temperature, and Environmental Temperature in thedevice of FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of control system for awater condenser according to the invention.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an alternative embodiment of acontrol system according to the invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a sensor used in the water condenseraccording to the invention.

FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 17 is a front perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 16,wherein the cover has been removed.

FIG. 18 is a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a top view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a portion of the embodiment shown inFIG. 17 showing the placement of the condenser relative to the condenserfan and compressor.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an evaporator according to theembodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 21A is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 21.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a portion of the embodiment shown inFIG. 17.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a heat exchange system according to theembodiment of FIG. 17.

FIG. 23A is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 23.

FIG. 24 is a side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 25 is a partial cutaway side view of the embodiment shown in FIG.17 showing the air flow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the drawings wherein similar characters of referencedenote corresponding parts in each view, in one preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, a fan 12 draws a primary air flow along anupstream flow path A through an upstream refrigerant evaporator 14,through an air-to-air heat exchanger 16, and in an alternativeembodiment also through an air-to-water heat exchanger using cold watercollected as condensate from evaporator 14 (better described below),cooperating with an air intake 18 of upstream flow path A, then througha manifold 20 where ambient air is drawn in as auxiliary air flow indirection B through auxiliary air intake 22. The primary air flow entersmanifold 20 in direction C upon leaving heat exchanger 16. The primaryand auxiliary air flows, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, mix in manifold 20then flow in direction D through a downstream refrigerant condenser 24and finally flow through fan 12 so as to be exhausted and heated exhaustin direction E.

The primary air flow is pre-cooled in the air-to-air heat exchanger, andalso in the air-to-water heat exchanger in the alternative embodiment.Humidity in the ambient air drawn in as the primary air flow throughintake 18 is condensed in refrigerant evaporator 14. Water dropletswhich condense are gravity fed in direction F into a collection plate,pan or trough 26 for outflow through spout 26 a. The addition of ambientair drawn in as the auxiliary air flow in direction B into manifold 20provides the higher volumetric air flow rate needed to efficientlyoperate refrigerant condenser 24.

In operation, the primary air flow is drawn in through the upstream airintake 18 of evaporator 14 in direction A and passes between the hollowair-to-air heat exchanger plates 30. Depending on the embodiment of thepresent invention, an air-to-water heat exchanger 90 may cooperate withair-to-air heat exchanger 16 and there may be one, two, three or moreplates 30 in heat exchanger 16. Plates 30 are preferably parallel andare spaced apart to form flow channels therebetween, and between theoutermost plates 30 a and the walls 32 a of the housing 32 of the heatexchanger. Within evaporator 14, plates 34 are refrigerated by theevaporation of refrigerant flowing into cooling coils 34 a. Plates 34are optimally cooled to a temperature which will cool the primary airflow to just below its dew point such as seen plotted from experimentaldata in FIG. 12 so as to condense water vapour in the primary air flowonto the surfaces of the plates and coils without causing the watervapour to form ice. For example, the primary air flow exiting evaporator14 in direction H, so as to enter heat exchanger 16, may be cooled to40. degree. Fahrenheit.

Once the primary air flow has passed between plates 30, and betweenoutermost plates 30 a and the walls 32 a of housing 32 (collectively,genetically the pre-refrigeration set of air conduits), the primary airflow is turned one hundred eighty degrees in direction I by and withinan end cap manifold 36 which extends the length of the upper ends ofplates 30.

Plates 30 themselves are rigidly supported in parallel spaced apartarray sandwiched by and between planar end plates 38. The end plateshave an array of apertures 38 a therethrough. The apertures align withthe open ends of sealed conduits 30 b through the plates, as best seenin FIGS. 3, 3A and 3B, so that, once the air flow has turned one hundredeighty degrees in direction H through upstream side manifold 40, the airflow then passes in direction J through apertures 38 a and along thelength, of conduits 30 b (the post-refrigeration set of air conduits) soas to exit from the corresponding apertures 38 a downstream in theopposite end plate 38′. In particular, side manifold 40 in theillustrated embodiment of FIG. 3C, which is not intended to be limiting,segregates air flow in direction H into three flows HI, H2 and H3 so asto enter into corresponding conduits 30 b, themselves arranged in threebanks 30 b], 3O2 and 3Ob3 arranged vertically one on top of the other asseen in FIG. 2. Fences 40 b divide air flows HI, H2 and H3 from oneanother and align the air flows with their corresponding bank of sealedconduits 30 b, so that air flows HI, H2 and H3 are aligned for flowinto, respectively, conduit banks 3Ob1, 3Ob2 and 3Ob3. Fences 40 b alsoalign with plates 34 so as to partially segregate the infeed to airflows HI, H2 and H3 to come from, respectively, between the outsideplate 34 and the outside wall 14 a, between the inside and outsideplates 34, and between the inside plate 34 and the inside wall 14 b. Alower cap 40 a seals the end of pan 26 and channels moisture collectedfrom side manifold 40 into pan 26, as seen in FIG. 2B. Air-to-air heattransfer in direction K occurs through the solid walls of plates 30 sothat the primary air flow in conduits 30 b cools the primary air flowbetween the plates.

Upon leaving the apertures 38 a′ in end plates 38′, the air flow isagain turned approximately one hundred eighty degrees in direction C byand within downstream side manifold 42 which extends the height of endplate 38′. Side manifold 42 directs air flow into manifold 20 through aport 44 leading into the upstream end of manifold 20. An ambient airintake 22 feeds ambient air in direction B into manifold 20 so as to, inone combined air flow embodiment, mix with the air flow from heatexchanger 16 with ambient air from auxiliary air intake 22. The flowrate of the auxiliary air flow through intake 22 is selectivelyregulated by actuation of damper 22 a (shown in FIG. 3 in its closedposition in dotted outline and in its open position in solid outline).The mixed air flow is then drawn in direction D into refrigerantcondenser 24 so as to pass between the louvers 24 a or coils or thelike. Condenser 24 condenses refrigerant flowing in lines 46 a(illustrated diagrammatically in dotted outline in FIG. 4) oncecompressed by compressor 46. The combined air flow then enters thein-line fan 12 and exhausts from the fan in direction E.

Atmospheric air enters intake 18 in direction A through screen 50,passing through pre-filter 52, then through a high quality filter, suchas HEPA filter 54. Air flow leaving condenser 24 may pass throughanother filter 56. Filter 56 inhibits contaminates from entering the fanand thus keeps contaminants from getting into evaporator 14. Once theprimary air flow has been processed through the two cooling stages of,respectively, heat exchanger 16 and refrigerant evaporator 14, theprimary air flow may not be sufficiently cool to assist in therefrigerant coo ling in refrigerant condenser 24. Thus the primary airflow may be exhausted entirely from the system without flowing throughcondenser 24 without significantly affecting performance, or if theprimary air flow is somewhat cool, it may be used to assist in coolingcondenser 24. If the air that has passed through the evaporator 14 andheat exchanger 16 is exhausted upstream of condenser 24, the condenser24 will draw its own air stream, which is the auxiliary air flow,directly from the ambient air outside the system. The use of the two airstreams, primary and auxiliary has advantages in allowing a significantincrease in air flow through the condenser versus the evaporator.

A controller 48, as described later, may do multiple tasks and thesystem may require multiple controllers if it is not beneficial orpractical to build them all into the same unit. The controller 48 may bedesigned to accommodate a varying power input such as would be the caseif the unit was hooked up directly to a photovoltaic panel. Controller48 may also ensure that the refrigeration system pressures aremaintained.

There are two pressures involved in a refrigeration system such as isemployed in this design. These are the suction pressure (low side) andthe discharge pressure (high side). For optimal performance the low sideor suction pressure may be approximately 30 psi. The high side ordischarge pressure is much harder to control and may be within the 120psi to 200 psi range for optimal performance. With a normalrefrigeration system the high side pressure is easier to control usingconventional refrigeration controls, and poses little concern. With asystem such as this, that is under constant changing load with largefluctuations in both temperature and humidity, the pressures are proneto change and can quickly move outside of the optimal range. This cancause damage to the system, as if the discharge pressure gets to high(over 250 psi) it may be very hard on the system and can cause internaldamage to the valves in the compressor, the insulation on the electricalwiring, and may even cause the formation of waxes, as well as decreasingthe overall efficiency of the system. These pressures may be controlledto some degree by controlling the pressures within the system andthrough controlling the flow of refrigerant. The high side or dischargemay be controlled by regulating the quantity and temperature of the airthat passes through the condenser. If the discharge pressure is too low(below 120 psi) the cooling system becomes compromised and functionsbelow its capability. In this case the controller is designed to turnthe fan off and allow the pressure to rise. If the pressure gets toohigh the controller will turn the fan on and the pressure will drop.This is a simple and inexpensive way to control the system dischargepressure.

Controller 48 may also find the optimal air flow rate through thecondenser so as to moderate the discharge (also called backpressure) toan acceptable range (150 psi may be optimal). In this design the fan iskept at the optimal speed rather than turning off and on, so as toensure proper system pressures and optimal operation of therefrigeration system.

Control System

Controller 48, may be part of control system 130 of the water condenserto manage the air flow through a series of control elements allowing thewater vapour within the ambient air to be condensed into a containingelement, such as collection plate 26. As seen in FIG. 13, the controlsystem includes air inlets 100 (an example of which is air intake 22,although a plurality of air inlets present in the water condenser may beincluded), which constitute the beginning of air flows in the watercondenser; a water extraction system 110 which extracts water vapourfrom the air flow (as previously described), an air exhaust system 120which maximizes water extraction from the ambient air and removes airafter the condensation process, and a water extraction control system130 which manages the air flow through the water condenser based on aplurality of sensors and air movement devices.

Control system 130 also includes a plurality of sensors, amicrocontroller/processor (not shown) capable of receiving input fromthe sensors and outputting information to control the air flow systemwhich, in turn, varies the flow rate. Water extraction control system130 takes information from subsystems of the water condenser, includingair intake measurement system 140, air movement control system 150, andexhaust measurement system 160, and uses this information to controleach subsystem. Control system 130 may also include display 170 and userinterface 180, with input means such as buttons 190, dials, or the like,for allowing local user control of the water condenser. Control system130 may also include an external control system 195 for wired orwireless communication with control system 130 within the watercondenser, or with control interface 180. External control system 195may be, but is not limited to, a local or networked personal computingdevice, such as system controllers, PLCs, personal computers (PC's) orhandheld devices. Control system 130 obtains information about thecurrent status of the system through inputs obtained through at leastone or more sensors positioned in our around the water condensor.Preferably at least a sensor is located within the air flow system ofthe water condenser measure the properties of the air flow entering theair intake to provide input about the properties of such air flow tocompare to input received from a sensor providing input to the controlsystem about the properties of air flow exiting the water condenserthrough the exhaust system. Those properties are measured to bothmaximize water extraction and to determine the level and efficiency ofoperation of other system components, including air filters, airconditioners and water conditioners.

The control system further includes both mechanical and electricalcomponents. The mechanical components control air flow as instructed bythe electrical or electronic components of the control system, tocondense water vapour extracted from the air and collected within themechanical components.

The control system measures properties in the incoming, or intakeambient air flow, including humidity and temperature, and compares theseproperties to the exhaust air flow using the same parameters todetermine the optimal flow rate to maximize water extraction. Thecontrol system may also measure pressure changes between the intake airflow and exhaust to determine the efficiency of the exchange propertiesand further determine if system components require maintenance.

Using the control system includes measuring the humidity differentialbetween the intake and exhaust, determining the optimal air speedthrough the water condenser's mechanical system. Optimal air speed isthe air speed velocity which produces the greatest amount ofcondensation in the mechanical (condensing) system, thereby maximizingwater extraction.

The sensors are used to measure the air flow, temperature, pressure orhumidity. Preferably at least two sensors are present in the watercondenser, one at the air intake and one at the exhaust. The controlsystem may also include sensors in the condensation chambers or betweenfilters in the filter chamber. The sensors contain circuitry to convertmeasurement devices within into signals that can be transmitted (forexample along a cable) to the system controller/processor 48. Signalconversion at the sensor generally includes an electronic devicesreacting with the electrical properties of an individual sensing deviceand creating a signal which can be communicated along a wired interfacecable. In a general form, this means converting an analog property to adigital signal. A typical sensor is shown in FIG. 15.

The types of sensors that may be present include a humidity sensorhaving detection electrodes located on a semiconductor substrate and ahumidity sensitive film. The humidity sensors measure either theabsolute or relative humidity. The intake absolute or relative humidityis compared to the exhaust relative or absolute humidity to maximize thedifferential value thereby maximizing water vapour extraction.

A temperature sensor may be present having detection electrodes locateon substrates whose properties react to changing thermal conditions andcan be converted or measured electrically. The differential temperatureis used, in conjunction with differential humidity (either absolute orrelative), to determine optimal parameters for water vapour extraction.

A pressure sensor may also be present, in particular, to measure thedifferential pressure between the air flow intake and exhaust and, inpart, to determine the properties of the particulate filtrationreplacement system.

In practice, the control system reads input from the sensors, which aremeasuring intake and exhaust signals related to temperature, humidityand pressure. Further, the control system controls the air flow ratethrough the mechanical system of the water condenser. The air flow ratemay be controlled by any or all of the parameters capable of beingmeasured by the intake and/or exhaust circuits.

The intake sensing systems includes analog signal conditioners, whichare passive to active converters whose properties are converted frompassive uncompensated and raw measurement parameters to digital signalsmeasurable by a controlling device, for example a digital signalprocessor or a microprocessor or microcontroller. A preferred signalconditioning system includes a passive sensor, active signal converters,and error sensing circuits, which use error signals to generatecompensated signals indicative of the presence of water vapour; anamplifier associated with the sensor, for extracting the error signalfrom the active signal to generate a compensated signal, which indicatesthe presence of water vapour within a vicinity of the water condenser;an output signal conditioning circuit for receiving the compensatedsignal from the amplifier and generating a conditioned signal thereoffor transmission to a microprocessor, which instructs the controllersystem to control a variable air flow rate transducer in the watercondenser in response to a differential input and output of theconditioned signal to the microprocessor from the amplifier.

These input conditioning circuits and measurement devices are used todetermine the differential humidity and temperature. The air flow rateis then controlled to maximize the differential humidity between theintake and exhaust systems. This differential humidity is used alongwith temperature measurements to maximized water vapour extraction.

The air flow is controlled with mechanical devices under the control ofthe control system. The air flow is measured as a percentage of themaximum speed or flow rate as directed by the mechanical devices: 100%being the maximum speed or flow rate through the mechanical system ofthe water condenser.

The control system reads the input sensing devices converted signals andcompares those signals to the exhaust sensing devices converted signals.The air flow is then controlled to maximize the humidity differentialbetween those sensors. The temperature is measured, and used, to limitthe mechanical system so as not to cool the air so as to cause watervapour to freeze in the condensation system. Having both humidity andtemperature measurements allow the control system to compute a dew pointwhich is used in the decision matrix for air flow rate control.

The control system also may switch between condensing profiles switchingalgorithms and control parameters. Parameters are those inputs into thecontrol system that are either measurable or calculated. Calculatedparameters can be derived from the measurable sensor signals, or fromother parameters such as time.

Time is used as a parameter to filter or average readings from thesensors. This average or filter is adjustable in time to provide longeror shorter periods of adjusting damping factors which vary the controlrate of the air flow system. The air flow system output control may beadjusted based on profiles adjustable by the outside control system orthrough the user display/switch interface or both.

Two primary control algorithms are used in the system, atime-rate-variable (TRV) algorithm and a proportional integralderivative (PID) algorithm. A PID control system is a common feedbackloop component in industrial control systems. In this process thecontrol system compares measured values from a process with a referenceset point value. The PID controller can adjust process outputs based onthe history and rate of change in an error signal. The PID algorithm isused when the control system is being used to obtain a set pointhumidity or temperature differential. This is different from the timerate variable system which is used when the control system is maximizingits differential humidity and/or temperature values.

The time-rate-variable (TRV) system includes elements of PID controltheory however in this instance there is no known set point value. Theset point is not predetermined but is dynamic within the control systemand changes depending on the air qualities. Further, this ‘set point’ iscontinually optimized to maximize water extraction based on humidity andtemperature. If the control system includes a pressure sensor, thissensor is used to assist the primary control algorithm as the air flowrate through the system may be reduced due to pressure build up in theexchange chambers.

TRV is used by setting the initial measurements of the sensing system,at TO. At TO the flow control system will be set to 0 or to a value near0. The sensors are read to determine the differential conditions at TO.The flow rate control is then increased to a slow idle speed asdetermined by the mechanical flow actuators. The flow rate of mechanicalactuators normally have a low speed idle condition such that if setbelow this point, cause the flow rate to decrease from this minimalvalue to 0. This may not be proportional to the control values. Forexample, an output control rate of 12% may not be enough to cause themechanical actuators to move air, whereas 13% may cause air to move.

The sensors are again read at some time TI after this initial conditionwhere TI is set by the system but is a profile set variable. At time TI,the controller uses these measured parameters to determine if the flowrate should be increased. Generally speaking an increase in the flowrate is expected after the initial conditions. It is also expected therewill be some or no increase in humidity differential and thismeasurement is used as the basis for further control of the flow system.

At this time T1, the speed is increased to rate approaching, but lessthan the maximum (100%) as determined by the formulate;

New Flow Rate(%)=(((100%−Current Flow Rate)1 2)+Current Flow Rate)(%)

Flow Rate Control: Increasing Adjustment   Formula 1

Some time later, at time T2, a value proportional to TI−TO, a new set ofsensor measurements are used to compare the previous humiditydifferential with the new humidity differential to determine if thesedifferential values are increasing or decreasing. The goal of thecontrol system is to increase this humidity differential to its maximumvalue. The maximum value is the value at which if the flow rate wasincreased, the measured humidity differential would fall.

If the humidity differential is larger at time T2 than at time TI, thecontrol system then increases the air flow according to the formula 1listed above but the Current Flow Rate will be the last flow rate usedto control the mechanical system. This has the effect of increasing theflow towards 100% in decreasing steps which are effectively half waybetween where it is currently set and 100%.

This process continues until the maximum is reached as describe above.Once this has been reached, the flow rate is decreased in smallincrements based again on previous measurements as reflected in thefollowing formula;

New Flow Rate=((Current Flow Rate−Last Flow Rate)/2)−Current FlowRate)−K

where K, is a constant to guarantee there is at least a differentialcontrol state

Flow Rate Control: Decreasing Adjustment   Formula 2

The constant K, in formula 2 causes the algorithm will step the air flowrate down in the event the previous air flow rate and the current flowrate are the same. This differs from the increasing formula (formula 1)because in the increasing air flow rate case, 100% maximum can continueto be used as long as the humidity differential appears to be a maximumat the maximum air flow rate.

The controller recognizes the humidity of the incoming air and thedischarged air, strives to control the air volume and maximize theperformance of the water condenser by adjusting the air volume (e.g.,controlled by the fan) until there is a maximum difference between thehumidity of the incoming air (ambient air) and the humidity of thedischarged air. This difference represents the “most water removed” fromthe ambient air.

The algorithm may be programmed to being the fan speed of 50% (which isadjustable by the controller), but other starting fan velocities couldbe used, and takes an initial reading of the sensors. The fan speed isthen increased by a certain amount as determined by the above algorithms(for example 10%, which is also adjustable by the controller), followingwhich, the sensor outputs are received. If an improvement is seen (abigger difference between the humidity readings at the air inlet andexhaust) the fan speed is increased further. If no improvement occurs inrelation to the last measurement, the controller will determine that itis making changes in the “wrong” direction, and will then decrease thefan speed until an improvement is recorded. Regardless of direction(increase or decrease) the change in fan speed will be made until nochange is seen in the sensors. It will reverse direction to return tothe last fan speed that shows the biggest spread between the sensors.The fan speed will be maintained until a change is seen in one of thesensors. At this time, the processor will again “hunt” for the correctfan speed.

This sampling can be done as often as preferred. Alternatively, thesensors could be comparing temperatures, rather than humidity. Alsorather than changing fan speed, air passages or inlets could be openedor closed. Preferably, the ideal location within the system will bedetermined for where the internal air flow should be reaching its dewpoint. This location might be between the heat exchanger and theevaporator plates (in the first pass) but other locations are usable. Acontroller with sensors monitors environmental conditions and calculatesinternally what the dew point is. Sensors are placed within the systemsuch as mentioned above, allowing the controller to monitor the sensors,and thereby determining the temperature with respect to the dew point.Thus, if the optimal system function is to create a dew point near thesensor the controller will slow down or speed up the fan in a continualeffort to optimize the system. In another embodiment a pressuredifferential gauge may be used to offer feedback to the control systemassisting in its function to optimize the air flow. The present systemis designed to keep the air flow just below the dew point and to trackthe dew point continuously as conditions change. As seen in the testdata set of FIG. 12, the dew point is continuously tracked by theprocessed air temperature ensuring optimal operation.

In an alternative embodiment as seen in FIGS. 7-10 and 10 a the primaryand auxiliary air flows are entirely separate. Whereas in the previouslydescribe embodiment, the primary air flow after passing through theair-to-air heat exchanger wherein the lowered temperature of the primaryair flow leaving the refrigerant evaporator is used to pre-cool theincoming primary air flow rather than be wasted, and the primary airflow then flowing into the manifold wherein it is mixed with theauxiliary air flow so as to provide the increased mass flow volume forthe refrigerant condenser, in this embodiment, control of the primaryair flow is provided by a separate fan for increased accuracy of controlof the primary air flow through the two cooling stages namely the heatexchanger and refrigerant evaporator.

Thus as may be seen in the figures, fan 60 draws auxiliary air flowthrough refrigerant condenser 62 in direction M via intake 64. Asbefore, the refrigerant condenser is in the same refrigeration circuitas the refrigerant evaporator, that is, is in the same refrigerationcircuit as the second cooling stage. As before, an air-to-air heatexchanger provides the first cooling stage. Thus the primary air flow,as before, enters the heat exchanger prior to entry into the refrigerantevaporator. In particular, primary air flow enters air-to-air heatexchanger 66 in direction N through a lower intake 68 having passedthrough air filters as previously described (not shown). The primary airflow passes through hollow conduits 66 a across the width of the heatexchanger, exiting conduit 66 a in direction P so as to be turned onehundred eighty degrees in end manifold 70. The primary air flow thenflows between refrigerant evaporator plates 72 in direction Q whereinthe primary air flow is cooled below its dew point without freezing.Moisture thus condenses out of the primary air flow onto plates 72 andis harvested through a spout 74 into a collection pan or the like (notshown).

The primary air flow exits from the refrigerant evaporator through slot76 and travels in direction R downwards between conduits 66 a so as toexit heat exchanger 66 in direction S through slot 78. The primary airflow is then drawn through fan housing 80 and fan 82 so as to exit asexhaust from fan 82 in direction T.

The de-linking of the primary and auxiliary air flows so as to requireseparate fans, respectively fans 82 and 60, provide for condenser 62functioning at a greater capacity without affecting optimization of thebalance of the cooling between the first and second cooling stages of,respectively, the heat exchanger 66 and the evaporator plates 72. Thusthe lower volume fan 82 may be controlled by a processor (not shown) todetermine the current environmental conditions affecting optimization ofcooling and condensation for example by varying the power supplied tofan 82 to thereby control the velocity and mass flow rate of the primaryair flow through the two cooling stages. Thus the primary air flow maybe drawn through the cooling stages at a velocity which is not so highas to affect the maximum condensation of moisture, and not too low so asto waste energy in cooling the primary air flow too far below the dewpoint. Thus by monitoring environmental conditions, as previouslydescribed, for example the humidity and temperature, the fan speed offan 82 may be selectively controlled to optimize production ofcondensation regardless of ambient environmental conditions. Thus in avery humid environment, fan 82 will be powered to draw a higher massflow rate of the primary air flow through the two cooling stages,whereas in lower humidity conditions the primary air flow will requiremore time to optimize the condensation and thus slower fan speeds may beused to provide for optimized condensate production.

In the further embodiment of FIG. 5, a partition 100 partitions manifold20 so that the primary and secondary air flows do not mix. For example,partition 100 may bisect the intake into refrigerant condenser 24.Otherwise, partition 100 may be mounted relative to the intake intorefrigerant condenser 24 so as to provide a greater volume of auxiliaryair flow in direction D′ flowing through condenser 24. The air speedvelocity and mass flow rate of the primary air flow through the twocooling stages of the heat exchanger and refrigerant evaporatorrespectively, may be, for example, controlled by selectively positioningthe position of partition 100 relative to condenser 24 or otherwise by,in conjunction with, the use of air flow dampers or other selectivelycontrollable air flow valves.

The appropriate processing of ambient air provides for optimal operationof the condenser unit. While conventional condensers may simply drivehigh volumes of air through a cooling system (typically just anevaporator without a heat exchanger), these systems have notaccommodated a system designed for power efficiency as is in the presentinvention which employs techniques to extract the maximum quantity ofwater with the least power requirements. This may be accomplished in anumber of ways, as follows.

Environmental conditions are monitored by the system and at anappropriate point in the system, such as between the heat exchanger andthe evaporator (first pass) the temperature relative to dew point ismonitored. If the air at this point is too far above dew point the fanthat draws air through this section of the unit may decrease its speedthus slowing the air and allowing more time for the air to cool prior toreaching the evaporator plates. If the air at this point is below dewpoint then the system may increase the fan speed and continue tooptimize the air flow stream. Other conditions throughout the device maybe monitored as well and this information may be used by controller 48to further tune the device. Humidity levels leaving the system may beused as a means to determine exactly how much water has been extractedfrom the air and with this information, the system may modify itsconfiguration thus ensuring optimal performance.

In the alternative embodiment of FIGS. 6B, 11 and 11A, air-to-water heatexchanger 90 is mounted upstream of the air-to-air heat exchanger alongthe primary air flow. Water collected in moisture collector 26 isdirected for example by conduit 26 a into water reservoir 90 a fromwhich the water may be collected for end use. The water in reservoir 90a is chilled, having just been condensed into and recovered from theevaporate plates. Thus the primary air flow passing through air conduits90 b in direction A′ is cooled by the water cooling the conduits 90 bbefore the primary air flow enters the air-to-air heat exchanger forfurther pre-cooling as described above. This further improves theefficiency of the condenser as it takes advantage of the coldtemperature of the collected water.

A further embodiment of a water condenser according to the invention isillustrated in FIGS. 16 through 25, which can be mounted on a wall orthe like. As seen in FIG. 16, ambient air is drawn into the watercondenser through air grill 201 where it then passes through the intakeair filter designed to clean the incoming air. To allow for easy accessto the interior of the water condenser for the user, there is an accessdoor on the front of the device (removed in FIG. 16). This door coversencasement 202 holding replaceable water filter housing 203, replaceableUV light housing 206, and LCD display 204. Replaceable water filterhousing 203 allows access to remove and replace the water filter. LCDdisplay 204 offers relevant information regarding the status of thewater condenser to the user. Touch control 205 allows the user to scrollthrough the various functions offered by the controller mechanism.

As seen in FIG. 17, water condenser includes water filter 207, LCDdisplay 204, UV light 209, condenser 210, and compressor 211. Heatexchange system 212 may include bypass mechanism 213 (preferred incooler climates) which allows air to bypass heat exchange system 212.Water condenser also includes, as seen in FIG. 18, circuit controller214 and condenser fan 215. Condenser fan 215 may be angularly offset tominimize the dimensions of the water condenser. Condenser 210 may besimilarly angled to reduce the required thickness of the water condenserdevice. As seen in FIG. 19, water condenser exhausts dry air throughfrom condenser 210 through grill 217 on the side of the device.

Evaporator 218, as seen in FIGS. 21 and 21A is designed to maximizewater condensation and to address challenges faced with conventionalevaporator technology. Conventional evaporators have insufficientspacing between the plates/fins to allow a drop of water to freely fallwithout coming in contact with the opposing plate/fin. Evaporator 218provides spacing 240 between the plates 244 sufficient for waterdroplets to fall without coming in contact with and bridging the spacebetween the adjacent plate 244. Such spacing is preferably 110% to 140%of the average drop width (for example 125%). This allows water to beremoved from evaporator 218 and new water to be formed efficiently andresolves a problem in the prior art wherein multi-channel evaporatorspass air travelling upward through an evaporator section, therebycausing negative pressure created by the air flow, which holds water onthe plates especially at the bottom of the device. This causes water tocollect and bridge across multiple cooling plates, thereby obstructingthe efficiency of water being created. To overcome this challenge,evaporator 218 is divided into three independent sections, which allowair flow to only travel downward through the sections having coolingplates. For example, the air flow will travel down through the firstsection 219 of the evaporator 218 and then upward through middle section220 where no plates are present, and then travel down through the thirdsection 221, which has plates, thereby allowing air to only traveldownward through cooling plates thus alleviating the negative pressurewater bottleneck that diminishes system efficiency and creates lesswater.

An additional component that may be used to increase the efficiency ofevaporator 218 is a tapping or vibrating member (not shown) used toshake water off plates 244. Tapping member could be an offset weightattached to a small motor timed to vibrate for a short duration at setintervals or may be a coil wrapped around a movable magnetic rod thatwith short bursts of current produced by the water condenser (e.g.collected in a capacitor) will tap evaporator 218 thus assisting inremoving water from plates 244.

As seen in FIG. 22, removable cover 222 covers UV light 209. Outgoingwater line 223 is where water exits the condenser. This water line mayexit the device from its side rather than underneath the device shouldthe design call for the device to sit on a flat surface such as acountertop. Additionally, there may be a water containment system withsimilar dimensions to the device directly beneath the device to collectwater created and allow users easy access.

If such a containment system is positioned underneath the condenser, thecondenser may draw water from such containment system and circulate thiswater through the filtration part of the condenser to ensure the qualityof the water even if it has been sitting for a period of time. Thiscould be done for short periods of time on set intervals (e.g. 20mm/day).

Base 224 a of the device includes means to control air flow and tocapture water. Base 224 a is positioned below heat exchanger 212capturing water that might be created by heat exchanger 212. Above heatexchanger 212, is ducting mechanism 224 b that creates air flow throughvarious components as needed by the device. The device may include awater pump 225 to move water through various components, such as throughwater filter 207.

The heat exchange system that provides for increased efficiency of thedevice is seen in FIG. 23. The device pre-cools the incoming air flowmoving in direction Y with the outgoing waste air flow X. This heatexchanger 212 is able to bypass the heat exchange system through upperfront vent 232 should it be beneficial for the device given the currentenvironmental conditions. In this embodiment, both incoming air flow Yand processed outgoing air flow X move upward through the device throughseparate vents respectively 228 and 229, such that air flows X and Y donot come in contact with each other.

The incoming air flow Y enters the device through air inlet 228 at thebottom of the front panel of heat exchanger 212. The processed air flowX that leaves evaporator 218 (which is cold dry air) enters heatexchanger 212 at its bottom through air inlet 229 and moves upwardthrough exchanger 212 as is the new incoming air flow but in separatechannels of the device. This incoming air flow that has passed throughexchanger 212 then leaves exchanger 212 through outlet 230 at the top ofthe rear panel and enters into ducting that allows the air flow to moveto evaporator 218. The outgoing air flow that is to leave the systemleaves from top vent 231 of exchanger 212. Fan 226, as seen in FIG. 24,draws air through the device. Vent 217 allows outgoing processed airflow to exit the device.

As seen in FIG. 25, once the air has passed through an air intakefilter, it is channeled to either intake 228 that draws the air flow Ythrough heat exchanger 212, or through intake 232 whereby air flow Zwill bypass exchanger 212. Any number of means can be used to open oneof inlets 228, 232 while closing the other, for example, a sliding doorthat is as wide as the distance between the inlets 228, 232 as well aslong enough to cover one of the two inlets could be used. When it isdesirable for air to pass through exchanger 212, the door will slide toclose the intake 232 and open intake 228. When it is desirable for theincoming air flow to bypass heat exchanger 212, the door would thenslide downward to cover intake 228 and opening intake 232. In addition,it may be desirable for the door to be only partially open such thatsome of the incoming air flow bypasses exchanger 212 while some airpasses through it. The control system will determine the optimalposition for the door of this embodiment. Alternatively, the device mayincorporate a horizontally sliding door with overlapable vanes coveringintakes 228 and 232 wherein intake 228 would close as the intake 232would open. This could be controlled with a bimetal strip utilizing airtemperature to mechanically move the door.

Once the incoming air has passed through exchanger 212 it is drawnacross the top of evaporator 218 to the back of the device, after whichthe air flow travels down the first channel 219 of the evaporator 218section. Water is collected in the water collection tray and air flowchannel 227 and then the air flow moves upwardly through theunobstructed middle section 220 of evaporator 218 prior to beingchanneled downwardly again into the second finned evaporator channel 221of evaporator 218 where again water is collected in the water collectiontray 227.

Once the air flow has left evaporator 218 it is cool and dry and willenter bottom 229 of heat exchanger 212 where the air flow is used topre-cool the incoming air flow. That processed air flow exits heatexchanger 212 at the top portion thereof as air flow stream X. The airflow is then ducted through fan 226 and expelled from the device.

In one embodiment of the invention, various parts and components of thedevice may be either constructed with Titanium Dioxide or be coated withTitanium Dioxide. Using this material to construct various parts for thedevice, or using this material as a coating on such parts, will ensurethat these components are kept clean and free of contaminates and thatthe water source created by the device is kept free of unwantedcontaminates. Most of the internal components of the device may be madeof this inexpensive and abundant material. In addition, either all ofthe material that composes the storage container or the inner liningthereof may be made of Titanium Dioxide as a means to ensure that thatthe water source is kept clean and free of unwanted contaminates.

Titanium Dioxide (also known as Titania) may be used as an antimicrobialcoating as the photo catalytic activity of Titania results in a thincoating of the material exhibiting self cleaning and disinfectingproperties under exposure to ultra-violet (UV) radiation. Theseproperties make the material useful in the construction of the watercondensation system by helping to keep air and water sources clean andfree of contaminates while as well offering the benefits of self repairshould a surface be scratched or compromised. Titanium dioxide is thenaturally occurring oxide of titanium, chemical formula TiO2. Approvedby the food testing laboratory of the United States Food and DrugAdministration (FDA), Titanium Dioxide is considered a safe substanceand harmless to humans.

Scientific studies on photo catalysis have proven this unique butabundant substance to be antibacterial, anti-viral and fungicidal makingit ideal for self cleaning surfaces and may be used for deodorizing, airpurification, water treatment, and water purification.

As Titanium dioxide is a semiconductor and is chemically activated bylight energy, appropriate lighting sources may be added at variousstrategic points throughout the device to ensure that the air and watersources are kept clean and free of unwanted substances. Some of the mostbeneficial places throughout the system that might use this TiO2 exposedto UV radiation are the heat exchanger, evaporator plates, and thestorage container, however virtually all surfaces that come in contactwith either the air or the water source may be constructed with TitaniumDioxide. One strategic place for the lighting source might be betweenthe heat exchanger and the evaporator plates using reflective materialto ensure that the light radiates through both theses sections of thedevice made of, or coated with, Ti 02.

As a pure titanium dioxide coating is relatively clear, this substancemay be used for the inner lining of tubing that carries the water fromthe evaporator plates to the storage container and may become part ofthe UV purification system. This material has an extremely high index ofrefraction with an optical dispersion higher than diamond so in order toenhance its desired effects, coiled tubing that surrounds the lightsource, may be encased in a reflective material so as to ensure thatlight is given an adequate opportunity to come in contact with thesurface of the material and thus create the desired effect.

In applications where this UV and Titanium Dioxide purification systemis used inside of a storage container of some sort, an opening may besituated at the bottom of the reflective encasement such that light willescape to offer these same desire effects to occur within the storagecontainer. Alternatively, a separate light may be used within thestorage container assuming it is not practical for various applicationsto use only one light to serve this purpose. Other materials may be usedalso having desirable attributes within the device. These may includehydrophobic coatings (water repelling), and a variety of antimicrobialelements proven to suppress the growth and migration of bacteria. Thesesubstances may include silver or other compounds known to reducebacterial growth as well as a variety of corrosion proofing materials.

In a preferred embodiment the device can be cleaned by capping thecollection plate, filling the evaporator and heat exchanger (which arewatertight) with an appropriate disinfecting solution (such aschlorine), and allowing the device to sit in this state for a period oftime prior to draining.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of theforegoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible inthe practice of this invention without departing from the spirit orscope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to beconstrued in accordance with the substance defined by the followingclaims.

1. A water condenser comprising: a housing having a first air intake forentry of a first air flow, said first air intake mounted to anair-to-air heat exchanger having a pre-refrigeration set of air conduitscooperating in fluid communication with said first air intake; forintake of said first air flow into said pre-refrigeration set of airconduits, said heat exchanger having a post-refrigeration set of airconduits arranged relative to the pre-refrigeration set of air conduitsfor heat transfer between said pre-refrigeration set of air conduits andsaid post-refrigeration set of air conduits, a refrigeration unitcooperating with said pre-refrigeration set of air conduits for passageof said first air flow from a downstream end of the pre-refrigerationset of air conduits into an upstream end of said refrigeration unit,wherein said refrigeration unit includes refrigerated surfaces overwhich said first air flow passes as it flows from said upstream end ofthe refrigeration unit to a downstream end of said refrigeration unit,said first air flow cooled in said refrigeration unit below a dew pointof said first air flow so as to condense moisture from said first airflow onto said refrigerated surfaces for gravity-assisted collection ofthe first moisture into a moisture collector mounted under saidrefrigeration unit, an air-to-water heat exchanger cooperating with saidair-to-air heat exchanger for cooling said first air flow wherein saidfirst air flow is passed through said air-to-water heat exchanger andsaid first moisture from said moisture collector is simultaneouslypassed through said air-towater heat exchanger so that said firstmoisture, cools said first air flow, said downstream end of saidrefrigeration unit cooperating with, for passage of said first air flowinto, an upstream end of said post-refrigeration set of air conduits,said first air flow exhausting from a downstream end of saidpost-refrigeration set of air conduits, wherein said first air flow insaid post-refrigeration set of air conduits pre-cools said first airflow in said pre-refrigeration set of air conduits, control means forcontrolling the temperature of said first air flow in saidpre-refrigeration set of air conduits so that it remains above a dewpoint temperature of said first air flow when in said pre-refrigerationset of air conduits and for controlling the temperature of said firstair flow in said refrigeration unit so that it drops below a dew pointtemperature of said first air flow when in said refrigeration unitwithout freezing, an air flow mover urging said first air flow into saidfirst air intake, along said pre-refrigeration set of air conduits,through said refrigeration unit, and along said post-refrigeration setof air conduits.
 2. The device of claim 1 further comprising an airplenum having upstream and downstream ends, said upstream end of saidair plenum cooperating with said downstream end of saidpost-refrigeration set of air conduits so that said first air flow flowsinto said air plenum at said upstream end of said plenum, said plenumhaving an auxiliary air intake into said plenum, for intake of anambient second air flow into said plenum, said downstream end of saidplenum cooperating in fluid communication with a refrigerant condenserin a refrigeration circuit including said first and second air flowsexhausting from a downstream end of said refrigerant condenser, whereinsaid air flow mover urges said first and second air flows through saidplenum and said refrigerant condenser.
 3. The device of claim 1 whereinsaid refrigeration unit is a refrigerant evaporator.
 4. The device ofclaim 2 further comprising a selectively actuable air flow meteringvalve mounted in cooperation with said auxiliary air intake forselectively controlling the volume and flow rate of said second air flowpassing into said plenum.
 5. The device of claim 4 further comprising anautomated actuator cooperating with said metering valve for automatedactuation of said metering valve between open and closed positions ofsaid valve according to at least one environmental condition indicativeof moisture content in said first air flow.
 6. The device of claim 5wherein said automated actuator is a bi-metal actuator and wherein saidat least one environmental condition includes ambient air temperatureexternal to said housing.
 7. The device of claim 5 wherein saidautomated actuator includes a processor cooperating with at least onesensor, said at least one sensor for sensing said at least oneenvironmental condition and communicating environmental datacorresponding to said at least one environmental condition from said atleast one sensor to said processor.
 8. The device of claim 3 furthercomprising a processor cooperating with at least one sensor, said atleast one sensor for sensing said at least one environmental conditionand communicating environmental data corresponding to said at least oneenvironmental condition from said at least one sensor to said processor,wherein at least one environmental condition of said at least oneenvironmental condition is chosen from the group consisting of: ambientair temperature, first air flow temperature of said first air flow,humidity, barometric air pressure, air density, air flow velocity, airmass flow rate, temperature of said refrigerated surface.
 9. The deviceof claim 8 wherein said at least one sensor senses said at least oneenvironmental condition in or in proximity to said first air flow. 10.The device of claim 9 wherein said first air flow temperatureenvironmental condition includes air temperatures in saidpre-refrigeration and post-refrigeration sets of air conduits.
 11. Thedevice of claim 9 wherein said first air flow temperature environmentalcondition includes air temperature in said refrigeration unit.
 12. Thedevice of claim 11 wherein said at least one sensor senses said at leastone environmental condition in said heat exchanger, and wherein saidprocessor regulates said first air flow in said first refrigeration unitso that said air temperature in said refrigeration unit is below saiddew point of said first air flow, but above freezing.
 13. The device ofclaim 11 wherein said processor calculates said dew point for said firstair flow based on said at least one environmental condition sensed bysaid at least one sensor.
 14. The device of claim 11 wherein said airflow mover is selectively controllable and wherein said processorregulates said first air flow so as to minimize said air temperature ofsaid first air flow from dropping below said dew point for said firstair flow while in said heat exchanger to minimize condensation withinsaid heat exchanger.
 15. The device of claim 9 wherein said air flowmover is at least one fan in a flow path containing said first air flow.16. The device of claim 15 wherein said at least one fan includes a fandownstream of said heat exchanger.
 17. The device of claim 15 furthercomprising at least one air filter in said flow path.
 18. The device ofclaim 17 further comprising a water filter for filtering water harvestedfrom said refrigeration unit.
 19. The device of claim 17 wherein said atleast one air filter includes an ultra-violet radiation lamp mounted inproximity to so as to cooperate with said flow path.
 20. The device ofclaim 17 wherein said water filter includes an ultra-violet radiationlamp mounted in proximity to so as to cooperate with said moisturecollector.
 21. The device of claim 17 wherein said at least one airfilter and said water filter include a common ultra-violet radiationlamp mounted in proximity to so as to cooperate with said flow path andsaid moisture collector.
 22. The device of claim 1 wherein saidrefrigeration unit includes a plate condenser having at least one plate.23. The device of claim 22 wherein said at least one plate is aplurality of plates.
 24. The device of claim 23 wherein said pluralityof plates are mounted in substantially parallel spaced apart array. 25.The device of claim 2 where, in upstream-to-downstream order, saidrefrigeration unit is adjacent said heat exchanger, said heat exchangeris adjacent said plenum, said plenum is adjacent said refrigerantcondenser, and said refrigerant condenser is adjacent said air flowmover.
 26. The device of claim 25 wherein said refrigeration unit, saidheat exchanger, said plenum, said refrigerant condenser, and said airflow mover elements are inter-leaved in closely adjacent array.
 27. Thedevice of claim 2 wherein said first air flow has a corresponding firstmass flow rate, and wherein said second air flow has a correspondingsecond mass flow rate, and wherein a combined air flow of said first andsecond air flows is the sum of corresponding first and second mass flowrates so that a combined mass flow rate of said combined air flow isgreater than said first mass flow rate.
 28. The device of claim 1wherein said air-to-water heat exchanger is upstream of said air-to-airheat exchanger along said first air flow.
 29. The device of claim 1wherein said air-water heat exchanger is downstream of said air-to-airheat exchanger along said first air flow.
 30. The device of claim 1wherein elements including said housing, said first air intake, saidair-to-air heat exchanger, said sets of air conduits, said refrigerationunit, said moisture collector, said air-to-water heat exchanger,moisture conduits, or said air flow mover include titanium dioxide as aconstituent component.
 31. The device of claim 30 wherein said titaniumdioxide is a coating on at least internal surfaces of said elements. 32.The device of claim 30 further comprising at least one source ofradiation is mounted within said housing so as to irradiate internalsurfaces of at least one of said elements.
 33. The device of claim 32wherein said at least one source of radiation is a source ofultra-violet radiation.
 34. The device of claim 32 wherein said sourceof radiation is mounted between said heat exchanger and said evaporator.35. The device of claim 34 further comprising a reflector mountedadjacent said source of radiation to reflect radiation onto internalsurfaces of said heat exchanger and said evaporator.
 36. A watercondenser comprising: a housing; a first air intake receiving a firstair flow; a heat exchanger receiving said first air flow; a second airintake receiving a second air flow mixable with said first air flow,after said first flow passes through said heat exchanger; an evaporator;a condenser; and an exhaust.
 37. A method of condensing water,comprising: receiving a first air flow into a heat exchanger within ahousing; passing said air flow through said heat exchanger; receiving asecond air flow mixable with said first air flow to produce a mixed airflow; passing said mixed air flow through an evaporator; passing saidmixed air flow through a condenser; exhausting said mixed air flow fromsaid housing. 38-43. (canceled)